Black Lotus

Kuro and Shiro born in a world where people can be given the ability to control the elements via living nanobots which they call abilities. Through a complication during their birth, one of them is
not allowed to leave a special room for it. What happens on their first day out?

I'm building this off the empire to save words and the abilities have the same rules anyway. so if you were reading that before I put it on hiatus for some reason. Don't worry about spoilers.

Submitted: January 15, 2018

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Submitted: January 14, 2018

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The screams of anguish that comes from childbirth fill the room as Vanessa lays with her feet held in the air by stirrups as she begins to push. This goes on continuously for an hour and 15 minutes
before a light-skinned boy cries it's way out but the screeching doesn't Stop. It instead gets worse as the Scientist around them panic to figure out what's wrong before Brain enters the room.

"It's twins." He calmly states attempting to get the others to calm down and gather data while the doctors continue to address Vanessa.

The panic stops within the passing minutes until a bright, white light burst out from her nether region quickly burning through the skull of the doctor in front her.

"Everyone out!" Brain orders as he runs out himself.

Everyone follows suit as she continues to push, forgetting the newborn on the table while it continues to bawl.

Brain watches the data that is rushing through the computers that are wirelessly monitoring the room as the spikes on the heart rate monitor grows higher and higher while the light gets stronger
and brighter.

"It seems like she is giving off a white flame." He attempts to explain what's going on to the others.

"But she's an ice user?" One of the scientist attempts to get a grasp.

"But Wyn isn't. The child is the one giving it off."

The monitors quit giving accurate readings as the numbers pass the maximum.

Vanessa continues to push on her own as the unbearable pain continues to incline until the baby finally finds their way out and begins setting off a series of large explosions hiding them from
vision while causing the room to crumble around them into a growing pit leading all the way back to the monitoring station showing rocks and debris covered in blood. On the opposite side of the
station, there is nothing but barren desert separating them from civilization for if anything was to go wrong.

The debris somehow sits around Brain and the first child left under a pile of rubble, but its cries are still audible.

Most of the remaining scientist and doctors try to get as far away as possible while a few of the others, including Brain stare in awe of the destruction, it not being what they expected in any
way.

He shakes off his reverence and focuses on fixing the situation before things get worse. "Okay, she seems to be unaffected by the blast as well as the other child." He thinks out loud. "Vanessa!
Wrap your body around her and contain the blast!" He goes back to thinking out loud as Vanessa does as she is told having it succeed. "Hopefully this gives us enough time to figure out how to stop
them... You!" He calls out to a nearby scientist. "Get me a laptop."

The scientist runs off and quickly returns with the laptop in his arms, then handing it to Brain.

Brain eventually nails down the situation. "The child took all of your Nanites and her body can't contain all the power on its own! Therefore, it's outputting the excess! I have a way to stop it,
but that's not the main issue!" He leaves and eventually returns, arms full with bags of high-calorie chips. "I need you to feed it constantly or else it will die due to lack of sustenance! " He
makes his way down and throws the chips down in the hole beside her. "Crush them then shove them down her throat before she can destroy them. Meanwhile, I'll prepare a holding cell (Cell that stops
the operation of Nanites."

Vanessa, no longer having Nanites of her own can't use her ice ability to get out, feeds the child containing as much of the blast as possible. She does so after feeling for the location of
the child's mouth. She waits for someone skilled enough to safely carry her out to come to her aid, everyone forgetting about the first child completely. They eventually get her out the hole. With
someone carrying the chips behind them, they enter the cell and a little albino girl is finally seen.

"Don't stop feeding her." Brain orders reading off the laptop's screen. "She's not causing damage, but for some reason, she's still outputting."

"Huh..." Vanessa notices something is off but ignores it until a couple minutes later when she remembers she had two kids. "Umm... Brain, where's the other one?"

"Oh shit."

Vanessa pushes the girl into his hands and runs back to slide down the hole. Hearing the cries again, she digs up the rubble around it as others come to assist her eventually finding it under a
cave of rocks.

"I'm so sorry I forgot you." She cries as she takes the child and hugs it before having someone bring her back to the cell. She enters the room to find a double sized crib already set up and places
the child next to the albino.

"So what are you going to name them?" Cali's voice comes from behind her.

"Isn't it obvious? Kuro and Shiro." she gentle answers.

"Fucking weeb."

"I don't care." She smiles down at them.

"Someone get me a feeding tube and transfusion kit." Brain orders having one of the doctors leave the room.

"What do you need that for?" Vanessa asks continuing to feed Shiro.

"I'm going to give you abilities back." He smirks. "If I remove some of her Nanites I can return a small amount to you..."

"...And they will replicate like when you first gave them to us." She finishes his sentence.

"Exactly."

A few minutes later the doctor returns with the things that were asked for.

"Hook them up." Brain neglects to do it himself.

They slide a chair over and have Vanessa sit next to the crib while they hook Shiro up to the I.V. and other components, dealing with her afterward.

They give Vanessa a most of the blood taken saving some at the end.

"Try to do something." Brain commands.

She makes a minuscule ball of ice.

"At least it worked." He's relieved about that.

"What are you going to do with the rest of it." She looks at the small amount left.

"Give it to Kuro. If it worked for you it should work for him."

They begin connecting the boy to the system.

"So that was just a theory."

"For all I knew, they could have left your body for a reason."

"Wouldn't that apply to him too?"

"We'll see what happens."

They give Kuro the blood but about 30 seconds after they finish the procedure he begins to vomit.

While everyone else begins to panic Brain calmly takes a sample and analyzes it with the laptop and Vanessa waits.

"That's odd."

Vanessa leans in to look at the screen. "What's odd?"

"It's not his body purging, it's the Nanites themselves. It seems like that source virus we use doesn't accept him as a host. It would take a few test to figure out why though."

She looks back at the puking child "Should we do something about him?"

"He'll be fine once all the Nanites find a way out," he states with uncertainty.

"I'll just trust you on that one."

14 years pass of Shiro being confined to that cell, that room being the only scenery in her memories. She drowns herself in books, pictures, and videos trying to imagine what the outside
might be like.

Fixated on the plants, animals, and whatever else was out there happily anticipating the day they clear her.

"I heard they are going to be letting you out soon," Kuro states depressed as she lays in her bed.

"It still sucks. When you get out of here no one will compare to you in raw power but I'm just nothing."

"Sounds like your jealous." She tries to lighten the mood.

"If I have to admit it, I am."

She doesn't know what to say not expecting that response.

"You don't an ability to be strong," Vanessa states as she enters the room.

"How long have you been listening?" Shiro asks.

"The whole time."

"And you didn't say anything."

"Yep."

Shiro just stares disappointed in her parenting.

Vanessa claps her hands together. "Back to the topic at hand."

"How many times do I have to tell you that if you train hard enough you can beat anyone?"

"It's not as much fun or as useful." He continues to stare at the ground.

"Normal weapons are just as good. "

"That's not the point."

"I get that but there's no point dwelling on things you can't change." She raises her voice trying to force him to get that.

He continues to mope.

"Come on..." She pulls him to his feet. "You too Shiro."

When Shiro leaves the room she has a faint white glow around her but nothing gets destroyed unlike before. The worse of it is that heat is given off.

"Still early huh, just avoid anything flammable." Vanessa pulls them to a gym like an area that looks as if it's designated for training and sparring. It has reinforced holes cut out into the
ground for people to jump in and fight with controlled collateral damage. The surrounding area has things such punching bags and targets that can be used otherwise.

"I want you two to spar." She throws Kuro into the hole. "I know it's a waste of time but just do it."

"Where's my get a weapon?" He asks as if he is rightful to one.

"You don't need one."

"You're having me fight someone that still doesn't have full control over their abilities not to mention the facts they've never even used them or they're stronger than anyone I've ever fought."

"Yes." She pulls Shiro by the arm and throws her into the hole with him shaking her hand and freezing it afterward due to the heat.

"Fuck it." Shiro engulfs herself in flames

"You're not allowed to say fuck it. I'm the one in danger here." Kuro panics.

"You'll be fine," Vanessa reassures him again.

Shiro swings her arm and throws a randomly generated shape of ice at him.

"You can use both at the same time!" Vanessa and Kuro both exclaim in unison.

"How is this fair?" Kuro complains.

"To be honest I was trying to throw a fireball." Shiro scratches her head.

"The point stands," Vanessa replies for him before she jumps down. "I'll do it."

"Or we just don't this at all." Kuro continues to complain about his situation just to be ignored.

"Can you get yourself out or do you want me to do it?" She asks Shiro.

Instead of responding Shiro points her arms down and throws herself out with an explosion throwing all three of them. Shiro launching into the ceiling while Vanessa and Kuro each hit a wall behind
them, Kuro hitting headfirst snapping his neck.

Shiro runs over and looks into the hole after she lands noticing her brother.

"Seems like the answer to that question was I should do it," Vanessa states not yet noticing Kuro but quickly having Shiro's facial expression come to her attention. "What's wrong?"

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Comments

It was a good story, had a really good plot, though I did see quite a few typos, many making it a bit difficult to read as words were left out, but it could still be understood. I am though a bit confused about the end, Vanessa's reaction to Kuro's death, he is her son, right? So I would expect something more than that, you know, a cry out, she runs to his side, something along those lines. I did really like the creative aspect of the story, but it does seem unfinished. It really sets the scene for more. And it leaves us with hopes and questions for the future. Overall. I think you did a good job, and it was a good, quick read.